Peak performance

In honour of past, present, and future racing machines — ones that are so fast, powerful, expensive, and complicated that the rules need to be changed to rein them in — Goodwood has decided to dedicate this year’s Festival of Speed to the ‘Peaks of Performance – Motorsport’s Game-Changers’. And let’s face it, there’s a lot to celebrate. Williams Martini Racing will be celebrating 40 years as a Formula 1 team with a display of historic racing cars, including its FW14B and FW08B. There will be a display to commemorate the Dunlop motorcycling dynasty, which has claimed 41 TT and 37 North West 200 wins, with Michael and William Dunlop also in attendance and demonstrating some historic bikes of their father’s. Tom Kristensen will drive both his 2000 Audi R8 and Audi RS5 DTM up the hill, as part of a demonstration to commemorate his fabulous Le Mans career. And, like most events this year, there will be a 70 years of Ferrari celebration, with numerous Prancing Horses, from competitive sports cars and iconic road racers to the latest supercars, present at the festival.

Debutants

It wouldn’t be the Festival of Speed without at least one introduction to a manufacturer’s latest and greatest, and this year will see three special cars make their UK debut: the Alpine A110, the Aston Martin DB11 V8, and the Bentley Continental GT Supersports. There will also be a new category for those who love to handbrake around corners — the Competitive Drift Class, which will be judged by a combination of public voting and a speed trap on the first corner of the hillclimb. Along with the annual Moving Motor Show and the Cartier Style et Luxe Concours d’Elegance, this year’s schedule is jam-packed, so be sure to stay tuned-in over the next few days for everything Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Photos: Peter Aylward for Classic Driver © 2017